Georgia committee rejects bill to remove physician direction from anesthesia care

The House Regulated Industries Committee debated House Bill 251, a substitute that would remove the statutory phrase requiring anesthesia be "administered under the direction and responsibility of a duly licensed physician" and replace it with a coordination-based standard. Committee members heard more than three hours of testimony from physicians, anesthesia professionals and nursing organizations before voting; the bill failed on a committee vote.

Why it matters: The bill would change who has legal decision-making authority during anesthesia care in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers across Georgia. Supporters said the change would expand access to anesthesia providers in underserved and rural areas; opponents said it risks patient safety by weakening physician leadership in high-acuity situations.

Testimony and main arguments

Representative Mark Newton, an emergency department physician, told the committee he came "representing patients and the team approach that we have in health care now," and warned the bill "is so broadly written" that it would introduce confusion about "who's in charge" in an operating room or during a trauma event. He said staff and families deserve a clear decision-maker when patients unexpectedly deteriorate.

Steve Swayne, a retired physician anesthesiologist who practiced at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital, argued the current physician-led anesthesia care team improves…